


The Long Goodbye

by ByronBlack



Series: Blood in the Sand [2]
Category: Bloodline (TV 2015)
Genre: Brothers, Diary/Journal, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Lies, M/M, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Other, Secret Crush, Secrets, Sexual Tension, Suicidal Thoughts, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-06
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-10-28 14:18:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10833012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ByronBlack/pseuds/ByronBlack
Summary: The Morning after Rowan and Danny Sleep together, Rowan returns to Rayburn house to hide all evidence of the incident. Can he keep his dirty little secret from Mr. and Mrs. Rayburn? and More importantly, can he keep his own secret from John?





	The Long Goodbye

**An excerpt from the diary of Rowan Woodhouse:**

 

John,

 

I’ve done something awful to you.

 

Betraying you was the biggest mistake of my life. I wanted so badly for you to be my first. I’ve loved for for as long as I can remember. I was so desperate to have you I settled for Danny because he was the next best thing. 

 

Why didn’t you kiss me that day on the beach? Given me some sign that you wanted me to stay. Perhaps it better this way. Oh how I hate to leave this beautiful place…

 

-o0o-

 

That night, after Danny took Rowan’s virginity. He walked home in the rain. He arrived home about midnight. His mother was passed out in the living room. The coffee table was covered with a few dozen empty beer bottles and an ashtray filled with cigarettes and joint clips.

 

His Mother and Stepfather both had their addictions. She was a drug addict, he was an abusive alcoholic. One of the reasons he took the job at rayburn house was so he could spend as little time as possible in this shithole.

 

His mother heard him come in through the door. She was strung out of her mind on something. “Cal?”

 

“No ma, it’s me Rowan!” he said as he knelt down beside her.

 

“Hey baby. Did you have a good day at school.”

 

“It’s saturday ma!”

 

“Of course it is. There’s some leftover pizza in the kitchen!”

 

“Okay ma. Get some sleep okay?” That said she drifted back into her drug induced delirium. Rowan went to his bedroom and locked the three padlock he had on the door. He crawled into bed and tried to get some sleep.

 

The Next morning he showed up to work a little late. Sally was at the front desk. “Sorry i’m late Mrs. Rayburn!”

 

“Oh that’s okay hun. You're only a few minutes late.” That’s she she looked down as saw the bruises on his upper arm. He pulled down the sleeve of his uniform to try and hide it.

 

“Everything okay at home hun?”

 

“Oh yea, peachy keen!” He replied.

 

She smiled and gave him the list of things that needed done. “Okay here’s your todo list. The Kotzen's are due to check in around noon, and checkout time for the Howard’s is at nine o’clock. Also have you seen the key to room 12 anywhere?”

 

“No. but i’m sure it’s around here somewhere.” Rowan said realizing he left it in Danny’s room last night.

 

“I’m sure you’re right.” She agreed. “Oh and John’s stopping by for lunch today! If I’m not back by the time he shows up tell him I went into town for supplies.”

 

“Can do!” Rowan said. Sally headed out and hopped in her truck and drove into town. Rowan stood on the front porch and waved to her as she took off down the road. After she was gone he hurried upstairs to room 12.

 

He opened the door to find that Danny was gone. He changed the bedding and cleaned the room erasing any trace of Danny that was there. He grabbed the room key and locked the door. On his way downstairs he bumped into Robert.

 

“Mr. Rayburn. I’m so sorry.”

 

“That’s okay. No harm done.” He looked down at the sheets and took notice of the stains. “Huh, looks like someone got lucky!”

 

“What?” Morgan said slightly panicked.

 

“The sheets. Been in this business long enough to know what kinda stains come from guests getting it on.” He replied.

 

“Oh, yea!” He agreed. A sigh of relief came over him.

 

“You okay son? You look a little skittish.” Robert asked.

 

“Hunky dory!” Rowan replied in his usual light a bubbly tone.

 

“Okay then. I’ll let you get back to work.” Robert walked off down the hall. Morgan put the sheets in the washer. He closed the lid and feel to the floor. He felt like the worst person in the world. Not just for lying to Mr. and Mrs. Rayburn. But for what he did last night. He knew it was a mistake the minute it was over. He wished he could take it back.

 

He walked back to the desk. The phone rang. “Hello Rayburn House, how may I help you?”

 

“Hey Rowan!” It was Danny! “Didn’t think you'd be able to walk after the fucking I gave you last night!”

 

“Yea, about last night! I think it was a mistake.”

 

“Why? Because I’m like a brother to you, or because I’m not the brother you wanted?”

 

“I’m sorry for that too. I never meant to hurt you.”

 

“You didn’t hurt me. You don’t matter enough to hurt me! Your don’t mean shit to me!” Danny replied. Tears began to swell in Morgan’s eyes. He forgot what a bastard Danny could be.

 

Rowan looked up and saw John’s truck pull up in front of the house. “Fuck you Danny!”

 

That said he hung up the phone and wiped away his tears before John or anyone else saw him cry. John walked into the foyer and up to the front desk. Rowan lit up inside when he saw him and smiled a big grin from ear to ear. “Johnny!”

 

“Hey Rowan how you doing?”

 

“Good, how are you?”

 

“Good, my mom around?”

 

“She just ran into town for supplies real quick. She told me to make myself useful and keep you company till she gets back!”

 

“Alright, wanna go for a walk on the beach?” John asked.

 

“With you? always!” Rowan grabbed the back in fifteen minutes sign and placed it on the counter. He followed John out the front door and walked down to the beach.

 

Rowan kicked off his shoes enjoying the feeling of the sand between his toes. Walking side by side with John. “You remember when I was younger. How we used to spend hours out here making sandcastles?”

 

“Yea. You and meg were always collecting sea shells so we could use them as windows. And turrets for the towers.”

“Remember when kevin got stung by that Jellyfish and Danny tricked me into peeing on his leg. God He was such a littleasshole! My mother used to think he was a bad influence on me. Maybe she was right!”

 

“Why you talking about Danny?” John asked. Rowan smiled. John could always see right through him.

 

“I saw him last night. He showed up here needing a place to stay.”

 

“I take it my parent’s don’t know about this!”

 

“No. But what could I do. It was raining, he was soaked. I couldn’t leave him out there John.”

 

“I know.” John said wrapping his arm around him. They walked a little ways and sat down where the shore line. The waves only inches from their feet. Rowan stared out at the water towards the horizon.

 

“It’s so beautiful here. The water looks like liquid turquois. You know when I was younger I used to come here and dream about a place somewhere far beyond the sea. Where -” Rowan stopped mid sentence. “You know how in the wizard of Oz, Dorothy has the chance to stay in Oz rather than go home. Well I never understood that. If I had the chance to go to someplace like that I’d never come back!”

 

“You still could you know. You could go to college out of state. Get a job in New York City or LA. Your a smart kid Rowan.” John said.

 

“I would. But there's something holding me back!”

 

“What?”

 

“Well, more like someone.” Rowan looked at John. He inched closer to him, thinking at last. He would finally be able to kiss the love of his life. But at the last second he turned away. John stood to his feet and brushed the sand off his pants.

 

“I better be going. I think my mother should be back by now!” John said turning a blind eye to Rowan's advances. 

 

John stood up and walked back towards Rayburn House, leaving Rowan alone. For a moment Rowan considered walking into the sea, like James Mason. Instead he just sat there for the longest time. Watching the sun set over the water as tears streamed down his face.

 


End file.
